IN THE PASSING LIGHT OF DAY

In the days before this album released I heard tons of talk about a return to the band's old days. After drifting for years with a variety of different styles, from the uber dense, grandiose "BE" to the bluesy 70s rock flavored Road Salt 1 & 2 and in between the anti American/hip hop culture rage fueled prog metal piece "Scarsick", "In The Passing Light of Day" was supposedly a return to their glory days.

While there is no doubt this album is a return to their heavy, darker days, (though I'd say Scarsick was certainly heavy and the Road Salts were not exactly light hearted affairs) it really is nothing like their first 4 albums. "In The Passing Light of Day" is a lot more straightforward, dare I say less progressive, than Entropia to Remedy Lane era Pain of Salvation. There's some of their classic syncopation, off tempo playing and heavy/light blend but this album is absolutely less explosive, innovative and zany than their classic era. While very heavy, it's not as "intense" as older albums, there are almost no solos, gone are the textured walls of music that stop, and sometimes turn, on a dime. The riffing and melodies are fairly straightforward and the drumming is solid but not anything to write home about. All that said, is the album bad? Not at all.

It may just take some getting used to. Daniel's vocals are brilliant as always, and the lyrics are somber and reflective, undoubtedly stemming from his brush with death from a flesh eating bacteria. Indeed, death and hospitalization are prominent on this album. The songs are mellow and moderately simple, but with enough heaviness throughout to prevent staleness. It's like a blend of Road Salt and their classic era, with the profanity tinged, punchy "Reasons" reminiscent of Scarsick. Call this album a summation of the band's career. It may take some time, and I feel like it still is fully sinking in for me, but this is a powerful, moving album. Some standouts are "On a Tuesday", "Full Throttle Tribe" and "Reasons". The 15 minute, mellow yet moving title track takes you on a slowly building journey to finish the album, which concludes with the sound of breathing in a hospital.

Daniel has gone through a harrowing experience, and clearly it had a major impact on him and provided him ample room to ponder. "In The Passing Light of Day" feels more like a musical telling of this experience, the most powerful one we know: dealing with death. THREE AND A HALF STARS (bump four stars)

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